U.S. President Donald Trump [UPI Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 31st (local time) that the U.S. military will not engage in a prolonged war with Iran, and that the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz will be resolved by the countries that use the strait.

In a phone interview with the U.S. daily New York Post that day, President Trump said regarding the prospect of a war with Iran, "We are not going to be there for very long," adding, "We are completely destroying them right now."

He stated, "We won't be there for very long, but we still have more to do to eliminate their offensive capabilities, whatever remaining offensive capabilities they have."

Regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, he said, "I think it will open automatically. They don't have the power left. The countries that use the strait can go and open it themselves."

He added, "Because whoever controls the oil will be happy to open the strait."

Earlier that day, President Trump expressed strong dissatisfaction with European allies who are not providing assistance in conducting the war with the U.S., posting on his social media platform Truth Social, "Go to Hormuz and just take the oil."

Regarding the Wall Street Journal's report that President Trump had informed his aides of his intention to end military operations against Iran even if the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continued, he said, "Honestly, I haven't thought about that. My only mission is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons."

He commented on the U.S. military's dropping of bunker-buster bombs on an ammunition depot in the central Iranian city of Isfahan the previous day, saying the scale of the explosion was larger than expected, indicating, "They had tremendous things."

President Trump continued, "We are eliminating their nuclear capabilities, and we have achieved regime change. We are now dealing with completely different people, and they are much more rational than before. This is true regime change."

When asked whether Steve W. Kroft, the U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs, or Vice President JD Vance would be dispatched for negotiations with Iran, he remained reticent, saying, "I don't want to say."

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated at a briefing that day, "The next few days are critical," and that stronger strikes would be carried out if Iran did not comply.